


Games of Chance

by ElfMaidenOfLight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, GingerRoseWeek2020, Mixed Media, Multi-prompt fic, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:42:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24103831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElfMaidenOfLight/pseuds/ElfMaidenOfLight
Summary: A mixed media collection of stolen moments, chances taken, and what-ifs for GingerRoseWeek2020.Day 1: Glove/CoatDay 2: Fighter/SurvivorDay 3: Spy/UndercoverDay 4: MillicentDay 5: Another Life, Another Time (AU/AT)Day 6: After the WarDay 7: Caf and Tea <-- This chapter contains explicit sexual content.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Comments: 158
Kudos: 103
Collections: GingerRoseWeek2020





	1. Day 1: Glove/Coat

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Glove/Coat

~*~

He hadn’t noticed right away, not when they’d first rendezvoused and he’d allowed her onto his ship, but now--

Hux paused, head cocked to one side, hands thrust into his pockets, trying to discern just what about her was different this time around.

It was only when she began to dig through the crates of parts and tech, cross-referencing the contraband with the list he’d given her on her datapad, that he finally realized what it was.

Her hands.

Rose could feel his eyes on her, knew he wanted to say _something_ , but was hesitating.

She huffed, turning towards Hux-- the Resistance contact, their spy, _her_ informant. Her hands went to plant on her hips.

“What,” Rose snapped.

Hux blinked, lips parting slightly before he pressed them together into a thin line, glowering.

Despite his frigided xpression, Rose couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes traveled down to her hands and to her dark brown, leather gloves.

She could hear the creak of leather as her fingers curled into fists, but couldn't stop the way her cheeks flushed with heat.

Unlike his pristine pair, ones she’d seen on multiple occasions, including this one, her gloves were old, engine-stained, and dangerously frayed at the stitching. She hadn’t had them long, but even so, they’d been hand-me-downs from someone inside the Resistance.

“Is there a problem?” She sniffed airily, tugging at one of the cuffs, mainly out of nerves, but stars above if Hux’s expression didn’t change into something she almost dared to recognize as hungry. 

Before she was even sure she’d seen it, it was gone, and Hux turned away from her, bringing his own gloved fist up and clearing his throat.

“Your protective gear is in need of replacing, Tico.” 

His words were dismissing, but his voice was off, slightly pitched.

“Well, I don’t have any others, they’re all I’ve got, and-- and I like them,” she huffed, unwilling to try and justify them to him further. It wasn’t like she’d started wearing them after the mission where he’d…

“Of course,” Hux said quickly, pivoting just a fraction, so she could see his pale, sharp, admittedly handsome profile. He seemed to weigh his next words before acquiescing and adding, “There is a certain… power to them, is there not?” He regarded his own gloves, turning a hand over in the air.

Rose bit her lip, looking away, her stomach flip-flopping. 

“Yeah,” she mumbled, swallowing tight. “I guess there is.”

The rest of their rendezvous went along all business-like, but at the end, before Hux bid her farewell outside his ship, before he went sneaking off back to the First Order, Rose noticed he was staring again, lips pressed together in concentration. His pale green eyes squinted at her, as if trying to parse out a particularly troublesome puzzle.

Eventually, he spoke. “Until our next meeting, Tico.”

“You got it, Hux,” and then she gave him a lax little salute; safer, Rose felt, than attempting a handshake. She was criously pleased at the delicate flush that took hold of his cheeks.

Before she could needle him any further on the issue, he’d already turned on his heel and stalked back up the ramp. 

What an odd man, she thought, throwing a look over her shoulder as his shuttle rose into the night, making her way back to her own transport. 

* * *

Weeks later, a parcel arrived.

“I don’t even remember loading this into the transport bay,” Poe admitted, dropping down the elongated black box in front of Rose’s workstation. He gave her an odd look. “We picked up a few shipments from the Colony and I thought I marked everything off but... somehow this made it on board.”

Rose frowned, picking up the box and turning it over. It was quite plain; wrapped in a thin layer of sealed plastoid. Her name was clearly laser printed on the outside in silver lettering: _Lt. Gen. R. Tico._

“Huh… well, thanks I guess.”

Maybe it had something to do with her secret mission, from Leia. Some sort of gadget they’d received to help with her spycraft. 

Poe shrugged, giving her a wave before moving off to tend to the Falcon.

By the end of the day, Rose almost forgot about the parcel, having slipped it into her bag during her shift. Dragging her aching body back to her bunk at nightfall, she tossed her satchel down onto the floor beside her cot, the motion causing the bag to sag open, the box peeking out of the top.

Work shirt untucked, top two buttons already undone, Rose paused, the package drawing her acute attention. Moving to sit down next to her bag, she pulled out the curious little box.

Peeling off the outer platoid covering, she shimmied open the well-fitting lid, the box sliding out with a soft sound. Inside, and to her surprise, there were multiple layers of fine, white flimsy, only not the kind you’d write on; it was all too thin and delicate. 

Her heart sped up.

Using such rare materials for mere packaging… whatever was awaiting her inside must have been expensive.

Carefully, she unfolded the flimsy one piece at a time, an expression of excitement growing on her face, cresting into a toothy, embarrassed grin as she saw what lay beneath.

A pair of gloves, their color not unlike her old ones, but clearly of exquisite quality, lay folded neatly in the box. Rose ran her finger over the material, like soft, supple velvet under her touch, as she took the small card that rested on top. 

Turning it over, she read what was embossed upon the card’s surface:

_Replacements; worthy of your rank and abilities._

Rose snorted, staring at the words and trying to envision the man who had typed them.

What a weirdo, she thought, even as she slipped one of the leather gloves on, relishing at the feel of the virgin, downy padding on the inside. The leather creaked as she flexed her fingers. The sound reminded her of--

Hux must have used a First Order supplier, even if these were dark, tawny brown, not his black regulation standard. 

She wondered, had he used his own personal stipend?

There was no rank insignia stamped on the inside, but still, they were... similar.

Rose notched her own gloved finger under her chin, tilting her head up slightly, gaze trained high on the wall opposite her bed.

At the motion, at the memory, heat flooded her face and down her body, swirling lower.

_“There is a certain… power to them, is there not?”_

Oh yes, they were quite similar.


	2. Day 2: Fighter/Survivor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Fighter/Survivor

~*~

“I… uh... I don’t want to hurt you.”

At her words, Hux relaxed his stance, dropping his hands from the defensive posture he’d been holding. He huffed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

“You won’t.”

Rose looked at the small blade in her hand, mouth twisting to the side. “Are you sure?”

His eyebrow quirked, expression edging towards incredulity. “I was under the impression you wanted more combat training.”

“Well, yeah! But this… this is like… a _real_ knife!”

Hux brought a gloved hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “Tico…” He took a steadying breath. 

“I highly doubt you will be able to land a killing blow,” he said finally, as if that should reassure her; as if just slicing him open a _little bit_ wasn’t even a concern.

Rose wasn’t sure if she should be relieved at him trusting her with the knife, or miffed that he thought she’d be unable to hit him.

“Come at me,” he said, moving into position, his voice low and dangerous and sending a chill down Rose’s spine. 

As always, he looked as deadly as he looked beautiful, with his neatly slicked hair and clean-shaven face. The only difference was his clothing, borrowed Resistance civvies rather than his old First Order uniform. He’d only been at the base for a few weeks, but his presence still caught her off guard from time to time.

“Tico!”

Rose jumped, his voice jolting her back to reality. She blushed slightly, having been caught staring. 

A muscle under his eye twitched. 

“Don’t tell me you’re scared,” he hissed haughtily. “That’s just like the Resistance.” He was goading her, she knew that, but she let the stinging anger at his words strengthen her nonetheless. Rose tried to focus and remember the moves he’d taught her.

“You all talk a fine game off the field,” he continued, “but once the battle’s on you run like rats. Cowards, the lot of y--”

Planting her feet, Rose jabbed at him with her right hand, but his own wrist swept around in an outside block, his forearm knocking her wrist away. She let his weight carry her next blow, dropping the blocked hand down, and went for an attack under his arm, but Hux knocked that away, too.

Rose shifted, pivoted, used her slight height to her advantage, but even as he moved defensively away from her and she tried every combination she’d been taught so far, he was always one step ahead of her.

She noticed his eyes went slightly unfocused, as if his movements were all muscle memory, adding a strange fluidity to his movements. 

It was… _distracting_ and she was beginning to get desperate. 

Later, Rose would swear up and down that she was trying out some slick move. But in all honesty, she was just flailing, and her foot only caught the back of Hux’s shin by accident, toppling him backward as she went sprawling over him. The knife clattered to the ground and spun away.

Landing against him, her weight pressed the air out of his lungs in an outward gasp, and he froze, but Rose wasn’t about to win on mere technicality. She swept her hand around, unsure what she was going to do now that she was weaponless. 

At her oncoming attack, Hux jerked back into action immediately. 

She felt his legs hook around hers as they grappled. He tried to hold her hands with his own, only for her to wriggle away and try to grab at him instead. As they twisted, he rolled them, over and over again on the ground, a tangled mess of his heavy breathing and Rose’s grunts of exertion as she tried to gain the upper hand. 

During their tumbling, she was sure she caught him smirking, eyes glinting with the thrill of the fight as his hands found purchase on her body, trying to roll her off with her own momentum, but she gripped him back, unwilling to let go, scrambling to pin his wrists. 

At one point, his leg slipped between hers, and Rose hadn’t realized how worked up their fighting had made her until he accidentally pressed into the apex of her thighs, and the feeling sent a warm wave of pleasure tingling through her body. 

The sensation stuttered her movements, catching her off guard. It was just enough time for him to roll her onto her back, pinning her hands on either side of her head, his hips pressing hers into the ground. 

Rose tried to struggle, but he held her firm.

At a stalemate, or rather, at Rose’s unwillingness to surrender despite her obvious losing, they held firm against each other, panting the same air.

“For a moment,” Hux huffed, smirking with victory, chest rising and falling against hers, “I thought you might have bitten me.”

“Damn it,” Rose exhaled hard. She hadn’t thought of that.

”I almost had you,” she countered. 

“Almost,” he whispered in a low voice, swallowing hard, his eyes narrowed but his gaze bright. 

Rose tried to wrench out of his grip once more, just to test his boundaries, to see if he’d let his guard down, but the movement did not aid in her escape. 

Instead, it made him shift a little higher, the motion sliding his leg further along her crotch, and Rose was too breathless and wrung out to stop herself from bearing down on the sensation, grinding against his thigh before she knew what she was doing. 

She’d just wanted to feel that delicious pressure again, and was rewarded with a skittering jolt as she rolled him against her clit.

His face changed then, from smug victory, to surprise, and then to heated curiosity. In response to her boldness, he ground down against her, and Rose could feel the hot, hard length of him between the crease of her thigh and where warmth was slowly building between her legs.

The combination of sensations made her pant out a breathy sigh, and the sound of it, the naked mercy in it, made a blush bloom in her cheeks.

Hux’s green eyes were glinting darkly at her, holding her gaze, studying her with a hesitating, hungry look.

She could feel his arousal clearly, but when he didn’t move any further, Rose began to lose her nerve.

Panic and embarrassment coalesced in her expression, and Hux retreated immediately, letting her go to sit back on his knees, watching as she wriggled back and sat up, her legs still caged by his.

Had she’d misread him completely? What had she been thinking?

“Sorry, I--” 

“Tico, it’s--” 

Their voices overlapped. 

Oh god, Rose was mortified. She told her body to _move_ , to get out, get away, but she couldn’t.

Slowly, Hux rose to his feet, and she could see the blush that flared over his face and down his neck; she saw the way his hands curled into fists at his sides before he extended a hand toward her.

“Let’s just forget it,” she said hastily, gripping his hand and letting him help her to her feet. “I didn’t mean-- it was just because we were-- because--”

Because you were pressed up against me and if felt _so good,_ she thought. Because I think you’re handsome and keen and quite dangerous. Because I’ve enjoyed working with you these last few weeks, even though I know I shouldn’t.

Rose took a deep breath. 

They weren’t bumbling teenagers; they were adults. Better get it out now before it caused problems later on.

“Because I like you,” she whispered, feeling his hand constrict around hers before he let her go.

Surprise flashed over his features, but not distaste. Rather, he looked a bit taken aback and unsure, as if he hadn’t considered the possibility of _those_ words coming out of her mouth. He caught her gaze briefly before he angled his face away.

“You shouldn’t,” he said, voice carefully even. Rose frowned. “We have discussed this before. I’ve been the architect of too much pain to deserve--”

“Hey,” she cut him off, taking a step closer. “You're with us now, and we’ve all survived horrible things in this war. We deserve to be able to live.” Rose pressed her own hand to her forehead, realizing she was dancing around her own apology. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. About _assuming…_ Just… don’t tell me you’re not allowed to live. You’re allowed to have fun. To enjoy things.”

Hux did look at her then, a small smile quirking up his lips, his eyes roaming over her face. “Admittedly I have enjoyed our time together, and I... do believe I may like you, too.”

Rose’s eyebrows shot up, even as a pleased, if not bashful expression bloomed over her face. She laughed, surprised but relieved, running a hand over her face. 

Now she _did_ feel like a giddy, bumbling teenager.

“Do you… want to take a break? Maybe get something to drink at the cantine?” Rose hiked her thumb towards the door, biting her bottom lip. “I wouldn’t mind another practice round, but... I think I might need a little bit of a breather.”

Hux nodded, shoulders relaxing a bit. “That sounds good.” 

As he went to retrieve his discarded dagger, she heard him snort. “Did you even mean to trip me? Or was that simply a product of your thrashing about?”

“Oh,” she said with mock seriousness, “I had that planned that from the start, of course.”

“Is that so?”

She shrugged her shoulders high, feeling unbelievably light. “Maybe my execution was _a_ _little_ bit off. Guess you’ll just have to keep teaching me, huh?”

“I suppose so.”


	3. Day 3: Spy/Undercover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Spy/Undercover

~*~

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit of new territory for me. I've never done comics or comic dialogue before; man is it challenging! Hopefully this wasn't too all over the place XD


	4. Day 4: Millicent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Millicent
> 
> This chapter contains audio!

~*~

“It’s been…” Poe checked his chronometer, “twelve hours. Are you sure you bugged a cat and not some purring vac-mop?”

Rose sighed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her face with a gloved hand.

When she’d spied the fluffy, ginger tail that whipped around the halls of the _Supremacy_ during their infiltration, she _knew_ the cat must have belonged to _someone_ important. Who in their right mind kept a cat on a Dreadnought?

But after detailing her grand, hairbrained scheme to Poe upon their return, explaining that--

_“You did what?”_

_“I hid a bugdroid! On the back of the cat’s collar!”_

\--they’d spent the last twelve hours listening to the live feed and hadn’t heard a lick of interesting information. In fact, it sounded as if the cat had been lounging alone in some quiet room, like a cleaning supply closet. Either that, or the owner of said cat worked ungodly long hours. They’d only heard the small animal purring and playing and sleeping and eating and--

Finn clasped Rose on the shoulder. “It was a good idea, but I think I’m going to call it a night.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Rose brought her feet down from where they’d been kicked up on an empty ammo crate. She didn’t miss the look the two men shared; exhausted, but tinged with fondness and-- she looked away.

“You know,” she added, gathering the datapad upon which the secret comlink had been temporarily silenced, “I think I’ll keep monitoring the feed, but you guys should go. It’s been a long day. You guys deserve a little alone time.” Rose gave them both a smile. Finn blushed, but Poe’s expression slid mischievous.

She bid them both goodnight and made her way back to her bunk, tucking in the earpiece that would feed the droidbug’s audio from the pad’s program.

**[Listen to the bugdroid's feed below:]**

It sounded like the cat was still napping; she could hear its snuffling breath.

The gentle ambient noise was certainly making her sleepy...

While she readied herself for bed, shuffling off to the communal fresher to wash her face and sonic-brush her teeth, she listened to the gentle hum of the room beyond her reach.

It wasn't an altogether _un_ pleasant ambiance.

She let the feed play on as she tidied u p her room before changing out of her work clothes, slipping on an oversized t-shirt before climbing onto her cot.

Tucking herself under the slightly scratchy Resistance-issue blanket, Rose closed her eyes and tried to imagine the sounds of the room she was listening to. It seemed so peaceful, despite the fact that it was somewhere in the First Order.

Listening to the gentle purr of the fluffy orange cat she was lulled to sleep.

Hours later, in the dead of night, Rose awoke to a loud meow, and a change in the sounds that were coming across the bugdroid feed:

The clacking of terminal keys and a sigh of fatigue.

Her heart leapt.

_A person!_

**[Listen to Rose eavesdrop by playing the following track:]**

&;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;

Trying to calm her thundering heartbeat so she could hear, Rose felt a strange wave of nerves, even though there was no way whoever was on the other end could hear her.

Was she feeling a little guilty? Maybe. She’d thought they’d hear all the Order’s grand plans come broadcasting back from some Officer’s meeting, not the sounds of someone’s private quarters.

She tucked herself tighter into her bunk, hunkering down and focusing on every minute little sound. Pulling up the datapad for a quick check, she saw the feed had been running for over fourteen hours.

Stars, did the cat’s owner never sleep? Who worked fourteen hour shifts only to go back to their room and answer holonet messages?

The cat must have padded closer, the clacking keys and gentle breathing growing louder. There came an affectionate meow and the telltale sound of fingers scratching against fur, accompanied by the cat’s rumbling purr.

At the soft kissy noises, made by the owner as they gently scratched around the cat’s head, Rose felt a small, slow-blooming smile grow upon her face in the dark of her bunk.

Whoever this was, it was obvious they loved their cat very much.

It was funny, to think about someone in the First Order caring about anything other than their own skin, let alone a defenseless animal.

Returning to their work, the mystery cat owner continued in their typing, pausing briefly every once in a while to sip some sort of drink.

By the sounds of it all, Rose thought she could safely assume the cat owner was male, and started fantasizing what sort of rank they were.

They must have been higher up the First Order food chain to be allowed a terminal in their personal quarters, let alone a _cat._

Maybe a Lieutenant? A Captain? A ship's captain would certainly have liberties…

There was a shuffling noise, and the sound of tiny paws smashing over a terminal keyboard.

Then there came a fond, if not exasperated sigh.

_“Excuse me madam, but you are hindering my work.”_

A cold feeling dropped into Rose’s stomach, freezing her in her bed.

No.

No way.

_“Millicent, if you please.”_

Was- was she imagining it, or did she know that voice?

There came the distinct sound of General Armitage Hux gently plucking the cat, Millicent, from his desk and placing her upon the floor, along with an apologetic head scratch.

_“Only a few additional reports to approve before bed, my dear. Be patient.”_

He sounded tired. Hell, he sounded _exhausted._

Rose covered her mouth with a hand, disbelief coursing through her.

 _Stars!_ It was _Hux’s_ cat!

Disbelief swirled within her as she heard Hux type away, sipping delicately at his caf, or tea, or whiskey, or whatever it was.

Millicent must have been growing impatient for her master’s attention, because there came the sound of her leaping onto some fabriced surface, as well as a grunt of surprise from Hux.

Oh gods, Rose thought. She was in his lap!

 _“You certainly are bold this evening--”_ his voice whispered, close.

There was a long pause.

 _“Or should I say morning,”_ Hux added, with a grumbling note of self defeat.

There came another wearied sigh, and the sound of it reached so deep that Rose found herself exhaling along with it, calming some of her nerves.

Millicent gave a gentle ‘mrrp’, thudding her head against some part of Hux’s chest.

_“I suppose you want me to get to bed, hm?”_

Millicent meowed, purring and nuzzling what could have been Hux’s chest or his hand, Rose couldn’t tell.

Hux hummed, his voice raw with fatigue.

“ _You gentle thing...”_

He sounded so… human.

_“I suppose I’ll finish this tomorrow. It’s not as if,” his voice turned mocking, “the ‘Supreme Leader’ will even pretend to be concerned with the fleet’s wellbeing. Such a child.”_

Millicent chirped.

_“Yes, madam, your company is much preferable to being thrown about and strangled.”_

Unexpected emotion welled in the back of Rose’s throat, swirling with the fear and the hate and the unknown. Who was this man, exactly?

There was suddenly the sound of Hux standing from his chair, Millicent carried along with him, before he must have set her down on a nearby surface. Fabric rustled.

Rose’s heart flip flopped.

Maybe… his bed?

The sounds of Hux drifted further away, before there came the telltale hiss of a pneumatic door opening and closing. Rose heard the muffled sound of water from a tap as Millicent kneaded her way around the sheets.

Rose took out her earpiece, although she did not stop the feed.

This was wrong. She wasn’t gathering any intelligence. She was just eavesdropping on Hux’s private time. Well, a warring voice said inside her head, he was her enemy, so why did it matter?

Because he was still a _person_ , Rose defended to herself. He should still be allowed privacy; to- to have a time when he wasn’t fighting. They all did.

Rose’s hand constricted around the earpiece.

Well, she’d gotten _some_ valuable intel, hadn’t she? It had sounded like there was a schism forming between Hux and Kylo Ren, or the mistrust that was there was becoming more pronounced.

That was worth it, right?

And…

The hum of Hux’s quarters, at least with Millicent’s rumbling purr, had been delightful to fall asleep to.

**[Did Rose keep listening in on Hux's private quarters? We might never know, but if she had, it may have sounded a little something like this:]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little experiment! Let me know what you thought :D


	5. Day 5: AU/AT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Another Life, Another Time (AU/AT)

~*~

Hux struggled against the Stormtroopers that held him, and in the process, the leather cord that had been in his hands fell to the ground, the medallion on the end clattering onto the polished floor of the hanger bay.

He went to grab for it, but before his slender fingers could reach, he was cut off by a booted toe crushing down upon where the pendant had landed before moving away. A tight black glove reached forward and picked it up.

“An Arkanis coin,” the woman said; General Tico. She turned it over in her fingers, studying the object’s small, round shape, the cord looped through the circular hole in the middle of the coin, a customary trait of all Arkanis currency.

Her dark, triumphant gaze flicked down to the man kneeling before her, a smile playing about her mouth at the fury in his gaze.

“I’m too young to have been there myself but… I’ve heard the stories,” she said in a knowing tone, the smile twisting cruel. “I heard the Republic bombed it to smithereens.”

Hux glowered up at her, his jaw set. He wasn’t going to show her how her words lanced through his heart. She didn’t know the chaos of that day, how he had barely escaped; how his mother had not.

To his surprise, she gave the troopers holding him a look, and they stepped away. 

General Tico straightened out the loop of the leather cord between her hands.

“How does it feel?” She asked, leaning down to loop the cord over his head, trailing the back of her gloved hand down the side of his smooth jaw, ending in a sharp, hard grip on his chin, jerking his face up. “To be allied with the very people who destroyed your home, hm?”

Hux glared up at her, even as a shiver ran down his spine. The coin felt like a lead weight against the front of his stolen First Order uniform.

General Tico was dangerous; he’d heard the rumors. He’d watched the holos. But holos hadn’t portrayed just how strikingly beautiful she was. Beautiful and deadly. 

She thumbed the side of his chin, tilting her head and giving him a knowing expression.

“You three infiltrated my ship. Why?”

He shouldn’t tell her, but what did it matter now? Both he and Finn were as good as dead.

“To upload a program,” he growled. “To disable your tracker.”

Her eyebrows jumped. “Oh, he speaks!” There was an echoing chortle from some of the other Officers that had gathered around. Tico grinned. “And you were the mastermind of that plan I suppose.”

Hux grit his jaw. The woman laughed.

“Well it certainly wasn’t him,” she indicated with her head to Finn. “And I dare say that the ruffian you brought aboard doesn’t look like the brain of the operation either. That leaves you.”

A tight knot of worry was forming in Hux’s stomach.

Where was she going with this?

“You know,” the General added slowly, tapping a finger against the underside of his chin. “The Order could always use skilled technicians and engineers such as yourself. Such potential...”

Something in her gaze, Hux almost got the impression she wasn’t speaking on behalf of the Order, not entirely. 

At that, he yanked his head from her grasp, anger flaring inside him.

“I would rather die than join the Order. I’m not like you. I won’t be Kylo Ren’s lapdog.”

The crack of the back of her hand up the side of his face whipped his head to the side. The blow was so fast he hadn’t even had time to brace himself for it, nor the stinging pain that her leather-clad hand had left in its wake. 

When he looked back up at her, he saw a strange expression in the General’s gaze: fury, hatred, but also fear. 

“Execute them both,” she hissed, voice so on edge it was almost trembling. Her hand must have hurt from the blow she’d landed, as it was pulled in slightly to her chest. As he noticed, she quickly let it drop. 

Whirling away, coat fanning, Hux nonetheless saw how her fingers flexed into a fist, as if she were trying and failing to forget the sensation. 

Good, Hux thought, as the troopers grabbed him roughly.

He hoped it hurt.


	6. Day 6: After the War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: After the War

~*~

“I don’t understand.” 

“You don’t?” The woman gave him a wry look. “And here I took you for a smart man, General Hux. You’ve been here for how long now?”

Hux swallowed. His hands, resting on his knees, slowly curled into fists. “One month, eight days, thirteen hour--”

Leia snorted. “Ah, that’s right. When you get to be as old as I am, all you kids start to look the same running around here. One’s sense of time can be affected.”

A muscle under Hux’s eye twitched. 

General Organa leaned forward in her chair, a little slumped. The older, yet remarkably formidable woman was a stark contrast to the man across from her; straight-backed and looking altogether out of place in his dark, neatly-pressed clothing.

Leia gave him an appraising look. “The Sith Eternal have been defeated and Kylo Ren has fled to wherever with the last Jedi. The war is over,” Leia added in a frank voice, sort of out the side of her mouth.

“Which is why you would do well to respond to their request in the affirmative,” Hux countered stiffly.

Leia rolled her eyes, tone sharp. “I’m not shipping you off to the Republican Senate. I’d never get you back.”

Confusion flitted over Hux’s face, his mouth pulling into a frown. “I don’t--”

“Understand. Yes, I know.” Leia gave him a tired look, but an amused one. “Surely you must realize that technological genius doesn’t grow on trees. There’s a lot of work to be done rebuilding the galaxy and I’m not going to let the Senate imprison someone who could help in that regard.” 

Before Hux could counter her, she went on, a finger pointed in the man’s direction. “If you’ve been thinking we’ve had you working in some sort of limbo before you’re shipped off to jail, you’ve got another thing coming, General. The Resistance has got you now. Forget the Republic. Half of them don’t like me anyway,” she muttered, more to herself than to Hux.

Hux looked a bit stunned at that, like his words were failing him.

“But galactic  _ law  _ states--”

“The Republic doesn’t have the best track record with how it doles out their so-called ‘galactic law’.” Leia sat back in her chair. “They’ve bombed children; schools.” 

She eyed him knowingly, in a way in which Hux wouldn’t have been surprised to learn was probing his thoughts with the Force, but he could feel no intrusion upon his mind.

“You know about the Academy?” He asked, feeling more than a little off-balance. 

“The First Order aren’t the only ones who read up on their enemies, General.” She stood slowly, Hux mirroring her as was the proper custom for those of higher rank.

“What happened to Arkanis was a war crime,” she said softly. When he didn’t move, she reached out to pat Hux gently on the arm.

He flinched at the touch, but was professional enough not to wrench from the old woman’s touch.

Leia smiled sadly. “If you ever need a sympathetic ear, you know where to find me. I know a little something about losing one’s home and one’s parents all in the same instant.”

Hux’s breath almost hitched. Almost. “My father died much later.”

But… she hadn’t meant his father, had she? 

No, he knew she hadn’t; Leia could see it plain on his face. 

Her voice dropped, even if they were the only two in the dimly-lit, carved-out room that served as her office. 

“It’s not your fault what happened to her, Armitage.” 

Hux shook his head very slightly, not in agreement, that no, it wasn’t his fault, but because she was starting to stray into dangerous territory. 

A pained expression flitted over his face, mixed with anger. “How dare you assume such a thing about me?”

“Oh, I don’t have to  _ assume.” _

“I thought you didn’t rifle through people’s minds, unlike your impetuous son,” he shot back.

Leia planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t need to rifle through your mind to know you blame yourself.” She gave him a knowing look, “Because I did.”

Her voice turned softer. “Sometimes, in my youth, I used to think that if I simply hadn’t been born, hadn’t existed at all, then Alderaan would have been spared. That my parents would still be alive.”

She watched his expression carefully; saw how it broke in places, how he ground the back of his jaw in an attempt to wrangle in the emotions she was evoking.

Before he completely fell apart, Leia had reached up and taken his face in her worn hands, and he was too distracted by the feeling of his entire world contracting in on itself, that he didn’t have the wherewithal to force her away. 

Leia searched his face. “Your mother would want you to live, Hux. She would forgive you. Let her.”

* * *

The door to Leia’s office slid back, and Rose watched Hux step through. 

Pushing herself off where she stood against the wall, Rose made her way over, her interest turning to concern when she saw how shaken he seemed.

Rose gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. Hux turned toward her.

“She’s-- she’s not sending you to them is she?”

“No,” Hux said quickly, trying not to notice the swell of fear and emotion in Rose’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if she could be called a ‘friend’ or not, but they had been working together for over a month now, and the way in which Rose seemed to cleave everyone in her orbit to her heart was not something that Hux had been able to escape, to his continued bewilderment. 

She let out a sigh of relief, then eyed him.

“So… everything's alright?”

Hux nodded slightly, his shoulders slumping. 

“General Leia is... quite the force.”

Rose nodded, grinning brightly. “Yeah, she is. She’s one of my heroes.” 

He smiled weakly. “I could see that.”

An amiable silence fell between them. Rose rocked from the balls of her feet back onto her heels.

“Well… do you want to get lost in a bit of work? That transport came in with the bum hydraulics. It’s a simple fix, but... I could use an extra pair of hands.”

Hux binked at her, marveling at her in a way he was only now beginning to identify; to appreciate. 

He gave her a slow-lifting smirk. “I don’t mind helping, if only to stop you from pinching off the wrong line again. I don’t fancy cleaning up hydraulic fluid from the hanger bay floor two weeks in a row.” 

“That was one time!” She griped, indignant. 

Hux chuckled, watching her blush and pout in faux annoyance.


	7. Day 7: Caf and Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Caf and Tea
> 
> \--> This chapter contains explicit sexual themes!

~*~

Rose rolled over, searching for warmth, but was greeted instead by empty bedsheets. 

A low noise of disappointment rumbled out from her throat, still raspy from sleep.

She curled into the empty space beside her, tugging the pillow down to wrap herself around it, inhaling his scent: all amber and spice.

She dozed, for however long, she wasn’t sure, but the second time she woke it was to a warm, nutty aroma wafting over from the bedside table and the mattress dipping near her head.

Slim fingers worked into her hair, drawing the strands back from her face in delicate, affectionate motions. Rose chased the touch, even if it meant she had to raise her head and wake.

“Wh-?”

Blearily, eyes peeking open, she could make out the outline of the man whose bed she shared. In spite of what history they shared, their nights together were becoming quite the habit, one she had no desire to quell. 

“I brought you caf,” Hux explained, in a voice that almost sounded like he was making a status report. 

Rose perked up, shuffling to sit up against the pillows, sheets falling away from her bare chest as she rubbed her eyes. She peered over at Hux, who had bashfully turned his gaze away from her naked breasts. 

Even if it were just his profile, she saw how the tips of his ears burned. 

_Cute,_ she thought, taking in the way he’d tamed his hair but had yet to slick it back. He was sitting primly on the edge of the bed, holding his own steaming mug. Some of that bitter tea, probably.

Rose shifted over to the side table, taking the cup that rested there. He must have gone to the bases’ canteen, slipping out without her noticing. 

“Caf in bed? That’s... actually really sweet of you,” she muttered before taking a sip.

Hux hummed, fiddling with the cup he held, still not looking at her. 

Rose grinned, but hid it behind the rim of her mug. 

Too late to be shy now, Armitage Hux, she thought with some triumph. Especially after what they did to each other the night before...

They’d given in to the strange, magnetic pull that had been building between them around a month ago. All the bickering, all the one upmanship; it had resulted in a lapse of sound judgement late one night in the hanger bay, all teeth and snarls as they used the side of the broken-down transport for leverage.

The memory of that night made Rose squirm pleasantly, the movement bringing to life a sweet ache between her legs, a testament to their most recent activity. The thought caused a flutter in her stomach.

Despite his dark history and their initial clashing, then with their begrudging working together, Rose had found he’d become… strangely addictive. Whatever it was between them, they’d been drawn to each other's company again and again.

“You’ve seen me naked more than a handful of times now. Surprised you’re still shy,” Rose teased, drinking down the caf and letting it warm her from the inside out. 

“I don’t mind, you know,” she added in a low whisper. “You looking, I mean.” 

Hux’s green eyes cut her way, holding her gaze for a long moment before his attention wandered downward. She watched his jaw tense and release, quirking an eyebrow at his reaction as she sipped her caf, feeling quite smug, recalling how that stoic mask of his had shattered completely as he fell apart inside her the previous evening.

“You are… quite beautiful.” 

His words broke Rose from her self-satisfied reverie. She hadn’t expected _that_ to come out of his mouth.

He must have seen the flicker of her surprise, for he went back to occupying himself with his mug of tea, looking as if he hadn’t expected to say the words himself. 

They were quiet then for a few moments, sipping their respective drinks as Rose regarded the man sitting beside her. He was dressed already in his work civvies, but he’d gone out of his way to bring her caf? He wasn’t urging her out of his room, but seemed to enjoy having her still naked and kept in his bed.

The knowledge that he might also enjoy her company, in addition to her physical affection, caused a new sensation to open up in Rose’s chest.

She set her mug back on the side table with a gentle _clunk_ , ignoring Hux’s questioning look as she plucked his own cup of tea from his long, nimble fingers, placing it aside. 

Leaning up, she slid her hand along the side of his smooth jaw, turning him into a gentle kiss, humming in satisfaction as he took control and worked her mouth open. He tasted like his bitter tea, but Rose found that she didn’t mind, shivering slightly as his tongue swept along her own, his body twisting toward her as one of his hands came to rest atop her thigh through the sheets.

They broke apart with an audible smack.

“Thank you for the caf,” Rose said, tone husky. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anything hand-delivered to my bed before.”

“Technically, it’s my bed,” Hux countered, words laced with dry wit as he regarded her. “But I certainly don’t mind you lying in it.”

She blushed. “Oh yeah? Well, guess I should just lie here a bit longer then, huh? You can hand-deliver me breakfast, too. I wouldn’t mind.”

He chuckled, leaning toward her as if caught in a tractor beam. “Is that so?”

“Mm-hmm,” Rose said, lying back against the pillows, yawning and stretching her arms. “Breakfast, lunch, dinner. I could stay here all day. It’s quite comfortable.”

“We’ll miss our shift,” he said solemnly, even as his legs pulled up onto the bed.

“ _We?”_ Rose snorted. “That’s awfully presumptive of you. Who says I’m sharing?”

The sight of him caging her with his knees caused desire to roar through Rose’s body, the pulse between her legs making her ache. She felt unbelievably slick, but definitely still tender from all their previous activity.

She scooted lower in the bed as Hux loomed over her, his hands on either side of her head. Looking up into his handsome face, she watched a myriad of emotions swirl in his eyes, even as his expression remained stoic.

“What is it?” She whispered, unable to read him as well as she would have liked. 

He licked his bottom lip, dipping his head to lavish open-mouthed kisses upon her neck. 

“I enjoy you in my bed,” he rumbled against her skin. “Perhaps more than I should.”

Rose let out a gasping giggle as he licked over a particularly sensitive spot. 

_“Yeah?”_

“I may have to keep you here indefinitely.”

The dark possession in his voice made her shiver all over again. 

Rose had to remember, despite the progress he’d made over the course of defecting from the Order, the man currently pulling the sheets away from her naked body was still the same man who’d wanted to strangle the galaxy into submission. It was hard to reconcile such facets of him, but she had to concede that the lot of them were a mess of contradictions; Hux’s shadows just reached a bit longer than most.

Rose could feel the weight of his body upon her hips; a delicious pressure that caused her to shift up against him even harder. The grind against her center caused a pang of oversensitivity, making her wince. 

Hux paused, studying her. 

“I’m fine,” she assured, even as he eased his weight off her slightly.

He humphed, moving against her carefully, even if he did look a bit smug. They’d both been particularly voracious the night before; she’d let him take her hard. Still, despite the way her body protested against even more ravishment, she wanted him.

With more tenderness than she thought him capable of, Hux wandered down her body, kissing her gently as he went, settling himself between her legs and nuzzling at the crease of her thigh.

Rose sighed into the touch, breath hitching into a low-moaning hum as he shifted lower and lapped a long stripe up from the core of her to swirl against her clit.

Gods, she thought, lying back, that mouth of his was perfect. 

He held her down as he worked his tongue against her, pressing his hands down upon her thighs. The contrast in his pressure, hard on her thighs but gentle against her sex, soared her higher as he kept up a languid pace with delicate flicks and fluttering, flat-tongued caresses. 

She was already so sensitive that it didn’t take long before Rose was quivering, inhaling sharply as a sweet, slow-rolling pleasure crested over her body like a wave, making her go boneless.

As the pleasure slowly ebbed, Hux sat up, watching her with an affection that he was probably unaware that he was showing, at least so nakedly. It made Rose warm all over.

“That was... fantastic,“ she said, voice slightly slurred, watching as Hux stood to gather a washcloth from the built-in shelving, sopping up the mess she’d made about his mouth before passing her the towel in turn. Rose took it, folding it between her legs as she rolled onto her side, watching him.

“This doesn’t make me want to get out of your bed, you know.”

Hux smiled slightly, just a small quirk of his lips as he moved to check the time on the datapad upon his desk. “Then my plan is working, is it not?” 

He wasn’t one for cuddling, at least not yet. Rose made a note to work on that as she propped herself up on an elbow, pulling her mug over from the bedside table for another sip.

“Well, you might want to keep me here all to yourself, but my caf’s gone cold,” she lamented, sitting up. “How am I supposed to get myself a refill when my legs feel all like jelly?”

“My, my,” Hux muttered, giving her a wry look as he reached for his own empty mug of tea. “Now that is quite the problem.”

~fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my 2020 love letter to Hux and Rose!
> 
> Big thank you to Brit for being a wonderful beta and editor, per usual!


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